- Emily Bingham Hollingshead, July 12, 2010
CA-DC DREAM Freedom Ride Begins
Monday July 12th -Monday July 26th 2010
Following on the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement, The DREAM is Coming - a national project of autonomous students - has begun the CA - DC DREAM Freedom Ride with the goal of pushing the DREAM Act as a stand alone bill.
12 DREAMERs will travel for 15 days, through 15 states, and over 5,000 miles from Los Angeles, CA to Washington, DC, and back, to join the mass mobilization of students that will take part in the three national days of action in DC. They will be meeting with Reid in Nevada, Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett in Cedar City Utah and Senator Ben Nelson in Lincoln Nebraska. They will also meet with key organizations and student groups in the states they will be stopping in.
On July 19 - 21, hundreds of immigrant youth will participate in the National Dream Act Mobilization in Washington, DC. Students and supporters will converge in the three-day action that will call for national attention to the struggles of undocumented youth and for the passage of the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill this summer. The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation that would allow undocumented students who entered the U.S before the age of 16, graduated a U.S high school and completed either two years of a college education or military service to earn a path toward citizenship. Each year, over 65,000 immigrant youth graduate from U.S. high schools with the hopes of pursuing their dream, only to find a roadblock because of their immigration status.
The schedule of the DREAM Freedom Ride is as follows
Monday July 12th - Kick Off 8am
Monday July 12th - 3pm Meeting with a representative from Senator Reid's office in Nevada
Monday July 12th - 9pm Arrive in Cedar City Utah
Tuesday July 13th - will be in Denver Colorado
Wednesday July 14th - will be in Lincoln Nebraska
Thursday July 15th- will be in Chicago Illinois
Saturday July 17th will arrive in Washington D.C
July 17th-22nd - The Dream is coming team will be in DC and taking part in the national days of action
Thursday July 22nd - will be in Urbana Illinois
Friday July 23rd- will be in Lincoln Nebraska
Saturday July 24th - will be in Denver Colorado
Sunday July 25th- will be in Las Vegas Necada
Monday July 26th- Will arrive in Los Angles at 4pm
The DREAM Freedom Riders Are:
Mayra Diaz
Alumna of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. degree in Health Science. Embarking on this journey because it is time to give more for those in the past and present who have given her and her family the opportunity of a future.
Laura Lopez
Alumna of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. degree in Latin American and Latino Studies. Partaking in the caravan in order to push forward the DREAM Act which will lead a step closer to Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).
Sophia Sandoval
As an ally to the DREAM movement and member of the The Dream is Coming, decided to partake in a Civil Disobedience in May. In that same spirit, she continues the struggle to push for DREAM Act with high hopes of it passing so that many of her undocumented friends will benefit by it and finally have the opportunity to travel the world.
Luis Martinez
Alum of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Computer Engineering. Long time DREAM activist, decided to partake on this journey on behalf of all the students whose future depends on passage of the DREAM Act.
Andrea Ortega
Alumna of the University of California, Los Angeles, decided to become part of the journey on behalf of all her friends and family members who are victims of the broken immigration system and believes this is the first step towards a society that doesn’t discriminate human beings.
Cyndi Bedezu
Alumna of the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. degree in Political Science. A DREAM activist since 2005, which lead her to partake in the DREAM “Freedom Rides” as more than ever she feels empowered to push for a great benefit for youth and families, including her own.
Alma Castrejon
Alumna of the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in Political Science and Chicano Studies currently working on an M.A. in Education from Cal State, Long Beach. Decided to join the Freedom Rides because the time to take action is now and make the DREAM Act a reality.
Pedro Joel
University of California, Santa Cruz alumn with a B.A. in Community Studies and a Minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. Joined the Freedom Ride in believe of educational equality believing that this is the tool for unity the betterment of the community.
Neidi Dominguez
University of California, Santa Cruz alumna with a B.A. degree in Community Studies with an emphasis on Immigrant Rights, with honors. Joined the Freedom Ride convinced that passing DREAM Act will secure and protect human rights.
Oskary Arrieta
Current student at Berkeley City College majoring in Political Economy and International Affairs. Has been involved with DREAM since 2008 and joined Freedom Ride as a stance of solidarity with youth who weren’t lucky enough to regularize their status as was she right before entering college. Strongly believes that a privilege as major as this should be taken advantage of by fighting for the cause.
Blanca Hernandez
Alumna of the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Chicana/o Studies with an emphasis on Social Policy. Has been involved with DREAM since 2006 and joined Freedom Ride with the strong believe that this journey will contribute toward the passage of the DREAM At resulting in stronger advocates for the passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR).
Sylvia Ramos
Current student at Rio Hondo College majoring in Special Education with an emphasis in American Sign Language. Has been involved in DREAM Act work since 2006 and joined the Freedom Ride because she wants to help her friends who want to have access to higher education.
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